Freedom Week
by Robyn Hood
Summary: Nightcrawler is asked to speak at a college Freedom Week Rally about human and mutant trafficking. His family has never heard his story before, either. Not exactly comic canon as his backstory comes from my headcanon. Oneshot. Rated T for description of abuse and violence.


_Note from the author: It's Freedom Week here at my college campus this week, and it inspired me to write this. I would like to say that __**there are more than 27 million slaves in the world, and many are here in the U.S. People are being abducted here and sold into all types of slavery. It's time we get involved. **__Oh, and this is my headcanon Kurt with his family. Just a side note, if you know who Kymri is, I changed her and made her a normal human. In an AU, Kurt was married to a Kymri and had two kids, T.J. (a boy) and Cerise (a girl). Talia from the Exiles was also there. In my universe, they all three are his._

Kurt took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. He was about to tell these hundreds of college students something he'd only told a handful of people before, and he was nervous. His stomach was going through his old circus routine.

His wife and kids were backstage tonight. They would be hearing this for the first time, but they deserved to know. They needed to know. How could they combat mutant trafficking if they didn't know it existed? He would give it a face, a name.

The last speaker finished her presentation on human trafficking in the U.S. and the crowd applauded appreciatively.

Now it was time for the "surprise guest speaker".

Kurt took a deep breath, tensed and relaxed his muscles, and disappeared with a soft _bamf_.

He had always prided himself on his theatrical entrances. He was, after all, a performer at heart.

He reappeared in his signature cloud of sulfurous smoke, crouching on top of the lectern.

Cheers, squeals, and cries of excitement arose from the crowd. They had a real celebrity tonight. One of the X-Men!

Kurt heard students yelling his codename and grinned, not bothering to try and hide his fangs. He craved this kind of attention. The crowd loved him, just like when he was an acrobat in the circus. It had been too long since he had been in front of an audience like this.

He picked up the microphone and tapped it with one thick, fuzzy finger. His tail flicked fluidly this way and that, moving fluidly behind him.

"Hallo," he said into the microphone.

The reaction he got was worthy of a rockstar.

He grinned again. "My name is Nightcrawler, but I'm sure you all knew that. It's a pleasure and an _honor_ to be here. I have to say, I'm impressed with you all. What you're doing, it's incredible. This is noble work, _meine Freunde_. It is needed. I commend you on this.

"But now, I must talk to you about another form of trafficking. It's a bit newer than the types of trafficking you've heard about tonight, although it often bleeds over into work, trade, war, and sex slavery. This is mutant trafficking. Ja, mutants are humans too, but sometimes, the things we experience are different.

"You see, I come to speak to you because I was trafficked. When I was fourteen years old, two weeks before my fifteenth birthday, actually, I…I was _sold_ inot a freak show. I was drugged so I would stay compliant, and also so I wouldn't teleport away. I was kept in a cage, in filth and miserable conditions. The only time I was allowed out was for the 'demon-taming' act, and to be hosed down when I got too dirty and bloody for display.

"I was beaten often, given very little food and water, and made to live outside. In the winter. Ja, I had my cage, and I have fur, but when it rained…well, fur holds water quite well. It's a miracle I didn't die in that cage. I received no medical attention, even though I often had open wounds.

"I know this is not a religious event, but I have to say, that it was only by the grace of God Almighty that I survived. He kept me alive. He had a greater purpose for me.

"But I was not rescued. There was talk from my…owners…about selling me to another circus, or even a taxidermist, but thankfully, that never happened. What happened next is much more likely to happen to normal mutants. Ones without physical mutation.

"I was kidnapped from the circus and made a part of a mutant experiment. A section of the _United States Government _was acting independently. They kidnapped me, as well as some other mutants. They experimented on us. Some had it worse than others. Their goal was to make us weapons.

"They use the same methods as other traffickers. They use coercion, force, torture, and drugs. They beat us, gave us little food, and made us dependent on them for survival. They belittled and degraded us without end.

"Again, it is because of God that I am alive. I was drugged and sent out on a mission that I could not complete. I was injured, but I escaped during that mission. Then, the X-Men found me. They stopped the men who abducted me and made the President aware of what they were doing.

"Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. I can think of _two_ close friends, no…more than that, who have been abducted, experimented on, or used as weapons or soldiers. Some have even been made to use their abilities for labor purposes. They are slaves. One of my friends was kidnapped from the hospital he was born in, as an infant, because someone noticed his physical mutation and saw him as a future tool. He was raised to be a thief, to use his abilities to steal. He was never loved. He had no real family. Those people who raised him thought of him as nothing more than another tool. These things happen, and they will continue if we don't do something to stop it.

"Please, I'm begging you, when you are fighting for human rights, don't forget about us. And please, reconsider your beliefs about mutants. Maybe those you see on TV, those who are acting out, are being forced to do so. Or maybe they've been hurt and are scared to be hurt again. They are trying to protect themselves. What they are doing is wrong, but if we can stop this trafficking, we will see a decrease in such activity. The X-Men are definitely working on this. We've rescued mutants - adults _and_ children - and are working to rehabilitate and heal them. You can go to our website at to find out ways to help or come and talk to me afterwards. I will be glad to answer any questions you have. Human or mutant, you can help. We believe in equality for _all_ humans, and we will not discriminate. Danke." Kurt bowed his head in thanks.

The auditorium erupted in applause.

Kurt kept his head down and eyes closed and teleported backstage once again.

Kymri embraced him, tears in her eyes. After fifteen years of marriage, he had never said a word. She had never known. "Oh, Kurt. I'm so proud of you. I love you."

Kurt hugged her back and held tight. "_Danke. Ich liebe dich auch_." (Thank you. I love you too.) He then turned and hugged his kids. "And I love all of you too."

Talia was crying. "I love you too, Dad." She held on tight to him. So much made sense now. And considering what he had gone through, maybe he wasn't as strict as she thought he was. Maybe he really was just looking out for her.

Kurt kissed the top of her head and held her until she pulled away, then moved to T.J.

T.J. didn't even have words. All of his insecurities about his appearance felt so insignificant. How could his dad have listened to him complain so much about petty problems when he himself had been through so much? T.J. simply clung to his father. He was scared and overwhelmed. He couldn't describe the feelings he was having.

Kurt stroked his son's hair. "It's okay, Torsten. _Alles ist in Ordnung, mein Sohn_." (Everything is okay, my son.)

T.J. simply nodded, blinking back tears. Finally, he let go of Kurt.

Kurt squatted down so that he was at eye level with his youngest daughter, Cerise. "Do you understand any of this, Cerise?" He asked softly.

Cerise shrugged.

"Tell Daddy what you understand."

"Daddy got taken away by bad guys and had to live in a cage and nasty and he got hit a lot." Cerise paused for breath, looking to Kurt to make sure she was getting everything right.

Kurt nodded for her to go on.

"Then other bad men came and kidnapped Daddy and were mean to him and he got hurt and left, but he found the X-Men and got better" She looked at Kurt with big, yellow eyes that reflected hurt and compassion. Her shining eyes filled with tears as she processed what she had just said.

Kurt hugged her and held her. "Are you afraid it's going to happen to you?" He murmured.

Cerise shrugged, tears falling freely.

"It won't. Daddy won't let that happen to you, okay? You're safe. I love you, Cerise." He kissed her hair.

A tiny, blue, three-fingered hand reached up and touched Kurt's furry face. "Are you okay, Daddy?"

Kurt smiled softly and nodded. "Ja, meine Kleine. I'm okay now." (Yes, my little one.)

He stood up, Cerise still in his arms and extended his free arm. "Kommen hier," he said softly. (Come here.)

His family all joined in the group hug. Arms and tails wrapped around each other, creating a warm, safe embrace.

Kurt smiled. He was okay now. Everything was going to be okay.


End file.
